In response to arlohike’s post on Palmer Mill Road Side Paths, Don Nelsen and I went up to Larch Mountain on Friday, before the snow began to fall, to check out the Shovel Trail and accomplish a fair conglomeration of random meanderings. We walked down Palmer Mill Road from the gate and picked up the Shovel leading up along a tributary of Bridal Veil Creek. To confirm: it is a well-maintained user trail, but in designated wilderness with recent bike tracks. We concur it is a downhill bomb track, of little interest for hikers, and perhaps created preceding the westward extension of the wilderness boundary but definitely kept clear since then.
Heading up, we got distracted by what I will call the Cabin Railroad, an old logging rail track that heads east across the slope. Don, waxing nostalgic now that he was in his element, asked me if I wanted to see some “old stuff.” There were the mortal remains of trestles as well as embankments, skid roads, and cuttings. The “old stuff” manifested itself more often as we got farther from the Shovel Trail: some rusting brake shoes, what Don said was a bear trap (garbage can chained to a tree), and a picturesque stone wall. At The Cabin, more a low hovel like the now incinerated Steve’s Shelter in the Horsetail drainage, there was a lot of recent hunter garbage, including camouflage netting. Behind The Cabin is a composting donkey sled and landing with hardware on display.
On the way back, we took a branch logging railroad line that led us up to Larch Mountain Road. A few more bits of “stuff” could be seen along the way. Walking down Larch Mountain Road, we easily found the top of the Shovel Trail and completed that route down to Palmer Mill.
I now expressed a desire to erase some confusion regarding the current state of trails below Devils Rest. After another detour on a logging track near Bridal Veil Creek, we began an exploration of The Way, which begins on the decommissioned Smith Road where it meets Multnomah Basin Road. The Forest Service strewed logs across the track after the fire, maybe to curtail ORV incursions. Some of the larger logs must be clambered over, but The Way has been diligently marked by tin can lids skillfully painted as taijitu as well as orange flagging.
At some point, The Way departs the salmonberry thickets of Smith Road and winds over to Tractor Tire Junction, now marked with stakes. It was explained to me that the Li’l Devil Trail runs a short course from here up to She Devil. Thus we digressed again and turned up Li’l Devil to hit She Devil just below Devils Rest. Then we dropped down She Devil and did a little loop involving Red Shorts and back to She Devil.
We still had to finish The Way, so Don suggested a cross-country cutoff that took us to that trail. We headed west on The Way, still marked by the flagging and yin-yang can lids, to its junction with She Devil. Here, a rather incongruous old sign, provenance University of Michigan, has recently been mounted on a conifer.
By this time, it was 3:30 p.m. or thereabouts, so we tracked eastward on The Way for its entire length, and then hiked up Palmer Mill Road to reach Don’s chariot at just about sunset. With all the stumbling and stopping and goofing around, we were surprised that we actually accomplished around 11 miles.
Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
- Don Nelsen
- Posts: 4383
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Bobcat,
Thanks for posting the TR and great photos! Always a pleasure to hike with you.
Here are a few photos of that cabin on a hike from June 2006.
I picked up some of this junk back in the day, but lots more remains as you saw:
The Good Will got this assortment:
That old steam donkey skid seems not to have changed much in 18 years:
dn
Thanks for posting the TR and great photos! Always a pleasure to hike with you.
Here are a few photos of that cabin on a hike from June 2006.
I picked up some of this junk back in the day, but lots more remains as you saw:
The Good Will got this assortment:
That old steam donkey skid seems not to have changed much in 18 years:
dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Nice little sightseeing tour out there, guys. Bummer to see the boy scout cabin in such derelict shape, I'm guessing it won't be upright for much longer. Here it was in December 2018:
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased
- Sugar Pine
- Posts: 184
- Joined: April 28th, 2017, 12:23 pm
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Thanks for the trip report, it is an interesting area. Last Tuesday we hiked a loop along the Oil Plan / Vacuum Cleaner trail to She-Devil to The Way and back Palmer Mill Road. I was suprised to see those trails and trail names are now on OSM (and so Gaia). We tried to find some other routes we took years ago, like north from the bullet car but just found thickets of salmonberry. So thanks to whomever is clearing these routes!
- acorn woodpecker
- Posts: 240
- Joined: January 4th, 2013, 8:35 pm
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Whoa, the breadth of knowledge with the brains of DN and Bobcat combined! Nice excursion you two did; right in time before the incoming snow dump. Haven't been below Larch that far in quite a while save for checking on the pseudo-rehabilitated Primrose in January 2022 before Redshorts gave it a gussying up. Pretty neat all those Bridalveil Plateau areas have been cleared and been given character. Will need to get back in there again sometime.
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Glad to read these recent trip reports for all these trails back here. And very cool for all the old maps (are they here or on Arlo's Palmer Mill Road Side Paths TR? I've been jumping back and forth, but thank you for those). I've been exploring this area with increasingly regularity so it's been handy to piece together where I've been and where I could end up. Parking at the top of the 1520 has been my go-to over the Wahkeena or Multnomah lot, and I now know I have the bottom of Palmer MR as well. Recently walked (skipped, jumped and carefully navigated logs) down the entire length of Palmer Mill Rd (from Mult. Basin Road side) which I've been meaning to do for a while. While that was fun I think I may up using She-Devil/The Way in the future.
Anywho, I was curious about the trail that continues to head northwest past the bullet car. I followed it for a short while (it split again, but I kept to the right) and then it turned sharply to the east and headed downhill. I didn't want to get too far off my casual itinerary for the day so I turned back. I see on an old map what looks like an old road maybe... did someone find a survey marker out here? My other thought looking at the topo is that it possibly connects to what I think was called The Starway Trail that lead up the ridge from somewhere off Angel's Rest Trail near Coopey Falls. No idea if that still exists anymore since the fires though.
Anywho, I was curious about the trail that continues to head northwest past the bullet car. I followed it for a short while (it split again, but I kept to the right) and then it turned sharply to the east and headed downhill. I didn't want to get too far off my casual itinerary for the day so I turned back. I see on an old map what looks like an old road maybe... did someone find a survey marker out here? My other thought looking at the topo is that it possibly connects to what I think was called The Starway Trail that lead up the ridge from somewhere off Angel's Rest Trail near Coopey Falls. No idea if that still exists anymore since the fires though.
- Don Nelsen
- Posts: 4383
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Hi Emily,EmilyK wrote: ↑April 11th, 2024, 9:21 pm
Anywho, I was curious about the trail that continues to head northwest past the bullet car. I followed it for a short while (it split again, but I kept to the right) and then it turned sharply to the east and headed downhill. I didn't want to get too far off my casual itinerary for the day so I turned back. I see on an old map what looks like an old road maybe... did someone find a survey marker out here? My other thought looking at the topo is that it possibly connects to what I think was called The Starway Trail that lead up the ridge from somewhere off Angel's Rest Trail near Coopey Falls. No idea if that still exists anymore since the fires though.
I'm glad you're having fun exploring the area. Lots more to see, and some of us are working to put the trails back together after the fire. The trail you followed past the Bullet Car goes to a nice viewpoint with a 180 degree view of the gorge. It used to be an old road but that was at least a half century ago. It ends at the viewpoint. Worth the visit, IMO.
The Stairway trail probably hasn't seen any work since the fire, and I imagine it's very overgrown with a few trees down as well. The upper end of it is/was 1/4-mile NE of the Oil Pan Jct./Vacuum Cleaner Jct. but the route hasn't been cleared since the fire. I've been there recently but didn't try to go down it given time constraints that day.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
Re: Shovel Trail, Cabin Railroad, The Way, Li’l Devil, etc. 1-5-24
Hi Don,Don Nelsen wrote: ↑April 12th, 2024, 1:40 pmHi Emily,EmilyK wrote: ↑April 11th, 2024, 9:21 pm
Anywho, I was curious about the trail that continues to head northwest past the bullet car. I followed it for a short while (it split again, but I kept to the right) and then it turned sharply to the east and headed downhill. I didn't want to get too far off my casual itinerary for the day so I turned back. I see on an old map what looks like an old road maybe... did someone find a survey marker out here? My other thought looking at the topo is that it possibly connects to what I think was called The Starway Trail that lead up the ridge from somewhere off Angel's Rest Trail near Coopey Falls. No idea if that still exists anymore since the fires though.
I'm glad you're having fun exploring the area. Lots more to see, and some of us are working to put the trails back together after the fire. The trail you followed past the Bullet Car goes to a nice viewpoint with a 180 degree view of the gorge. It used to be an old road but that was at least a half century ago. It ends at the viewpoint. Worth the visit, IMO.
The Stairway trail probably hasn't seen any work since the fire, and I imagine it's very overgrown with a few trees down as well. The upper end of it is/was 1/4-mile NE of the Oil Pan Jct./Vacuum Cleaner Jct. but the route hasn't been cleared since the fire. I've been there recently but didn't try to go down it given time constraints that day.
Thanks for the info, I will definitely make a point to check that viewpoint out next time I'm in the area, which will likely be within the next week or two. And big appreciation to you and everyone else who work to create and re-establish those trails. If there's ever need for help I'm always down for adventure and building, otherwise I'll continue to enjoy what's out there and just poke around